When practicing pranidhana, we can easily slide into achievement-focused success. But aspiration is not achievement. And it’s imperative for us to know the difference. We live in a society where our thirst for achievement can really hinder the spiritual practices we attempt to embody and create.…
“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and…
Every dojang has an ethical code of conduct for students. It is an intrinsic part of practicing martial arts to abide by this code. In other words, it’s basic ninja wisdom to honor your vows. Since I’m practicing the paramita of aspiration this month, I’ve been…
The eighth paramita, pranidhana, generally means aspiration. More specifically, it means spiritual aspiration. It is a sense of spiritual resolve or commitment. So pranidhana is often described and lived into through vows and prayers. It makes sense that the Tibetan word for this paramita is monlam,…
When we practice upaya, or skillful means, it’s a lot like tending to a garden. Each seed or plant has different needs- some need full sun, and some wither in full sun. Some love lots of water, and some just want a few drops. I have…
In his book Living the Martial Way, Forrest Morgan mentions three options of response when you’re attacked: avoid, evade, or intercept. Avoid When attacked, we can choose to maintain our distance. This requires some forethought, though, because if the distance isn’t there before the attack, you’re…
One simple way to describe skillful means is to say it is the art of being compassionately appropriate. Over the weekend, I attended an intensive training weekend for my spiritual direction program. And wouldn’t you know it, skillful means continually resurfaced as a huge part of…
In Monday’s post, I shared the first four of eight qualities Shantideva lists that prevent us from employing skillful means. They are: confusion, distraction, being too easily influenced by others, and complacency. The next four are: Procrastinating Lacking Discipline to Break Bad Patterns Fearfulness Worldliness Procrastination…
Appearances can be deceiving. In The Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi describes the difference between appearance and substance. When you watch someone punch, kick, or block, you see only the outside of the movement. But there is an inside to the movement as well. And the…
In his classic book The Way of the Bodhisattva, Shantideva lists eight qualities that can limit our potential. This list is a collection of feelings, experiences, or reactions that prevent us from employing skillful means. Because the list is both long and heavy (meaning it asks…
